Knitting machine



June 1946- E. ST. PIERRE 9 KNITTING MACHINE Filed April 25, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 11, 1946. r E. 51'. PIERRE 2,402,098

' KNITTING MACHINE Filed April 25, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y Patented Junell, 1946 KNITTING MACHINE Eugene St. Pierre, Pawtucket, 8.1., assignor .to Hemphill Company, Central Falls, R. 1., acorporation of vMassachusetts Application April 25, 1945,;sma1m. 590,176

.2-Claims. l

This invention relates to a method of knitting and to an improvement in knitting machines of the kind in which the leg of a stocking is knit of a plurality of yarns all of which are independently fed and knit during each revolution of the needle cylinder whereby an equivalent number of courses of the stocking are produced. The invention also relates to a method of .multifeed knitting of this character. Although the machine and method are peculiarly adapted to the knitting of stockings of the finer grades, sheer ladies stockings, for example, they may be employed for making any desired type or weight of circularly knit stockings. The invention, as shown in the accompanying drawings, is designed for the Banner type of circular, independent needle, knitting machine but is readily adaptable .to any other type of circular machine.

In the drawings:

F ie. 1 is a plan view of a sinker cam cap embociying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a carrier ring showing the needle circle and multiple yarn feeds; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic lay out of suitable needle cams and alsoshowing the approximate relation of the several yarn feeds.

In Figs. 2 and 3. four yarn feeds 1, 2, 3 and 4 are shown, each of which is capable of feeding a separate yarn to the needles. 2 may be the usual main and auxiliary feeds. Yarn feed 3 is .positioned ahead of the main feed I so that the yarn fed 'by it can 'be knit under the front stitch cam-oif'the main cam'block., Yarn feed 4 is positioned behind the rear stitch cam 01 the auxiliary block so that it can feed itsyarn to knit under the rear auxiliary stitch cam.

A suitable needle cam arrangement is snown in Fig. 3. The cam'sshown'in lull line are those required for four feed rotary knittlng in counterclockwise direction, indicated by the arrow. The cams shown in dotted line are not required 'for this knitting and are movable out of operating position. As indicated by broken line 5 in Fig. 3, the needles are lowered by cam so that they will engage and pass under rear auxiliary stitch cam 1 to knit the yarn 8 fed by yarn seed 4. Thereafter the needles are raised again by cam 9 to transfer the newly knitted loops from the hooks to the shanks of the needles 'belowu the latches. Thereupon the needles immediately-pass down center cam l0 and front auxiliary stitch cam I l to knit again after receiving yarn I! from yarn feed 2. They then travel along the indicated path until they are raised by raise cams l3 and M to transfer the loops of yarn I2 to the "shanks below the latches whereupon the needles move down along cam 15, receive a third yarn I6 from yarn. feed 3 and knit under front main stitch cam ll. They then move up raise cam I8 to' clear the latches of these newly knitted loops and receive yarn I9 from yarn feed I while passing down rear main stitch cam under which they knit this yarn. Thereafter their latches are cleared as they pass up raise cam 2| to repeat the cycle. Inthis way, four courses are in simultaneous production during each rotation of the cylinder and, in consequence, the normal production of the ordinary circular knitting machines is greatly increased.

If the stocking foot is also knit in the .rotary manner it can proceed as above described, all

' four yarn 'feedsbeing active. For Tina and bet- Yarn feeds I and L ter grades of stockings, however, split knitting is to be preferred If this method is' followed,-

multi-feed knitting 'is preferably discontinued. Specifically, yarn feeds 3 and 4 may be moved out of operating position and split knitting continued with auxiliary feed 2 feeding the instep yarn to needles of the long butt group and yarn feed I feeding the sole yarn to the needles of the short butt group in the usual way. During such split foot knitting, needle cams 6, 9, ll, I5, I8 and 2| are withdrawn from action and the cams shown in dotted line in Fig. .3 brought into action. The path followed by the long and short butt groups of needles in each direction of reciprocatory knitting is the usual one requiring no detailed description. The long butt needles will v knit under auxiliary stitch cam ll .in,one.direc-.

tion and under auxiliary stitch earn 1 in the other. The short butt needles will knit under main stitch cam 20 in one direction and under main stitch cam H in the other. After knitting in counterclockwise direction, the long butt needles are raised by cams '22 and 23 so that they will pass above the stitch cams I1 and 20 and center cam i 24 in the usual way. In clockwise knitting, they are similarly raised by cams 25 and 26.

The heel and toe may be knitted in the usual way by needles of the short butt group operated by the cams of the main cam block. During this knitting the needles of the instep group do not knit. To effect this, auxiliar center cam III may be withdrawn.

Associated with needle cams of this character is a sinker cam cap such as that shown in Fig. l. The most perfect fabric is produced. by the method in which the yarn is drawn over the backs of the sinkers behind the nibs instead of in their throats. This method is disclosed and described 'ing off by point 38 of fiopper cam 30.

acleared at cam 9.

and 30 and -a third fiopper camj 3L- It-alsc ineludes two drawing out cams 32 and 33 not found in the usual rotary or split foot sinker .cam cap. With this arrangement, all four yarns 8, I2, 16 and I9 may be drawn over the backs of sinkers and otherwise manipulated in accordance with V the method mentioned above.

During rotary knitting all of; the ii-oppercams 2l--3| are in their inward, active positions shown in Fig. 1. By means of cam34, the sinkers are moved in sooner and further than usual so that n 2 they will receive yarn 16 over their backs behind their nibs. After receiving yarn 16 from yarn feed 8 and knitting it under front stitch cam ll of the main cam block, at which time the sinkers are moved in by point 35 of-flopper card 29 for casting off, the sinkers continue to rotate and are drawn out by center cam 36 to transfer the newly drawn loops from their backs to their throats over their nibs. Then the'sinkers are yarn I2 is fed to the long butt group 4 and knitting under auxiliary stitch cam ll, cams 8, 9, l4, I5, I! and It being withdrawn.

As already stated, it is advisable to perform reciprocatory knitting by two yarn only, one for the instep and one for the sole. For example, the instep may be knit at the auxiliary side by yarn I2 which is drawn over the backs of the sinkers and the sole at the m'ainlside -by yarn l9 drawn in the throats of the sinkers thus utilizing the two regular main and auxiliary feeds. For such knitting, needle cams 6, 9, I4, l5, I8 and 2l are withdrawn and cams 22, 23, 25 and 44, shown in dotted line of Fig. 3, brought into action. All of the'sinkereamsremain as before, with the exception thatfiopp'er cam 23! is withdrawn so that the sole yarn may be drawn in the throats of the sinkers.

When knitting in counter-clockwise direction, of needles only which knit under cam block ll. After knitting,- the latches of these needles are cleared by cams 22 and 23. These needles are also raised by these cams so that they will pass over the knitting cams of the main cam block in the usual way. Sole yarn I9 is knit under main stitch cam 20 by needles of the short butt group, their latches havpushed in again earlier and sooner than usual by point 31 of flopper cam 31 as a. preliminary to re-- ceiving yarn l9, fedby yarn feed I, over their backs. When this yarn is knit under rear main stitch cam 20, the sinkers are moved in for cast- Further rotation of the sinkers causes them to be drawn out by cam 32 to transfer the newly formed loops of yarn Hi from the backs to the throats of the sinkers. Thereafter they are moved in again by'cam 39 to receiveyarn 8 fed by yarn feed 4 over their backs. After knitting this yarn under rear auxiliary stitch cam I, at which time the sinkers are moved in for casting off by point of flopper cam 21, the sinkers are drawn out by center cam M to transfer the newly made loop of yarn l2 from their backs to their throats. After this they are immediately moved in again to yarn receiving position by cam 42,

draw yarn l2 fed by yarn feed 2 over their backs and knit this yarn unde'r front auxiliary.

stitch cam II, the sinkers being moved in for casting off by point 43 of fiopper cam 28., To transfer these loops from the backs to the throats of the sinkers, they are drawn out by cam 33' before they are moved in again to yarn receiving position by cam 34 to begin a new cycle. By the means above described, four yarn may be separately fed and knit during each revolution of the needle cylinder. 7

Three feed rotary knitting by the method described may be accomplished by'rendering yarn feed 3 and yarn It inactive and withdrawing cams l5, l8 and preferably It also. Then yarn 8 knits under stitch cam I and the latches are Yam i2 knits under stitch cam H and the latches are cleared by cams l3 and I1. Yarn I9 is knit under cam 20 and the latches released by cam 2 l.

For-two feed knitting, yarn it may also be removed so that all the knitting occurs at the auxiliary side by means of yarns 8 and l2 which In clockwise direction yarn I2 is knit under auxiliary stitch cam l, the latches having been 'cleared during the previous counter-clockwise stroke by cams 22 and 23, asjust stated, and after knitting they are again cleared by cams 25 and 26. The short butt needles knit yarn H) at cam H, the latches having been previously cleared by cams 44 and 20.

The heel and toe are preferably knit in the customary manner in the throats of the sinkers at the main cam block. For this purpose, the auxiliary needle cams are withdrawn so that the instep needles will not knit and the heel and toe knitting carried out with yarn l9 in the same manner as for reciprocatory knitting with the exception that flopper cam 3| i withdrawn so that the sinkers will take the yarn in their throats and will not be moved in soon enough and far enough to receive itover their backs.

In the above description, reference has been made to yarn feeds l, 2, 3 and 4 and to yarns 8, l2, l5 and I9. This is not intended as a definition of certain specific yarn levers and'yarns but rather to identifyyarn feeding stations and-yarns fed thereat. For example-,- if yarn feed 1- is referred to as feeding yarn 19, this means-theta y rn feed of this particular feeding station feeds a yarn IQ of a character suitable for the part of the stocking being produced by it.

Various refinements may be added to the mechanl-sms described above such as stitch length re ulating mechanism whereby the length of the stitches at all of the feeds may be-equalized and varied at will. I See, for example. U. S. Patents #2369580 and #2,369,781. Also a means for controlling the flopper cams 2'1-3I may be included sozthat. the inward projecting of the cams can be varied automatically to conform the sinker action to the length of loops being knit. Such a mechanism isdisclosed in U. S. application #533,744, filed May 2, 1944. If no such control of the sinkers is required, flopper cam 28 is not 7 essential.- A fixed cam of similar characteristics may be substituted therefor.

' 7 "When knitting by the method referred to above .in whichthe yarn is drawn over the backserthe 5 sinkers behind the nib, the use of sinkers having flat backs is preferable because they provide a drawing surface of a definite height so that the length of the loops drawn will be the same even through there may be slight deviations in the inward projection of certain sinkers and also so that, as long as the loops remain on the backs of the sinkers, they will be unaffected by the necessary sinker motion such, for example, as the extreme inward projection of them when casting off. Also preferably the sinkers should not move radially while the yarn is being drawn to further insure that the loop length is not influenced at this time by sinker motions.

This method of knitting is not to be confused with methods of reverse plating in which yarns are drawn over the backs of the nibs while the sinkers are moving out to obtain the correct relative placement of the two yarns and in which the loop length is necessarily influenced by the fact that the backs of the nibs are sloping. Two variables are injected into the drawing operation which when added to the fact that the motion of all sinkers can not be absolutely the same results in unwanted differences in loop length which, though small, nevertheless impair the actual and apparent perfection of the fabric. By the method of knitting referred to herein, the needles are the only thing which are in motion in relation to the sinkers so that these disturbing factors are eliminated and much more perfect fabric obtained both as to uniformity ofloop length and the shape of individual loops.

I claim:

1. In a circular, independent needle, knitting cams is drawn over the backs of the sinkers.

2. In a, circular, independent needle, knitting machine having main and auxiliary cam blocks and capable of split knitting, means for causing the eedles to knit in succession different yarns under both stitch cams of each cam block and means for positioning the sinkers so that the yarn knitted under each stitch cam will be drawn over the backs of the sinkers.

' EUGENE ST. PIERRE, 

